This invention relates to park and playground equipment, and more particularly climbing equipment and elevated play environments. Children need playground equipment that provides a durable, safe, varied, and creative play environment. Various types of playground equipment are known in the art, the vast majority of which are intended to be used as stand-alone structure dedicated to one purpose. These traditional forms of playground equipment include see-saws, climbers, slides, spring mounted riders, whirls and the like. Another playground structure is a traditional playground deck. These decks are simple elevated spaces, usually accessed by a ladder or staircase attached to the deck, with no central supporting member. Rather, these decks are supported by corner columns or posts in accordance with traditional accepted building practices.
One way of achieving a superior play environment is to provide an environment where access to the deck is centrally located and is a part of the permanent structure. This arrangement provides novel design opportunities as a result of such incorporated function. Since the center of the deck can act as an entrance to the deck, the sides of the deck can be used for alternate entrances or exits, access to other elevated play equipment, or stationary play stations. Alternate entrances and exits give children more avenues of play. A play area with multiple types of equipment near each other and connected to each other allows children to switch activities as their attention spans expire.
Accordingly, there is a need for playground equipment of modular construction that is capable of serving in conjunction with other suitable apparatus to make a superior play environment for children. A play environment made of modular, interchangeable stations, each of the stations being made of modular parts allows the construction of large scale play apparatus more economically than known, non-modular, stand-alone structures.